Pink Blossom Quest Redux
by Biigoh
Summary: So, this is the archive of a quest that is being run on SB, SV, and QQ. Long story short, take a Sakura from Street Fighter and put her in another Sakura from Naruto and then have fun in fishcake land.
1. Waking Up

Once upon a time, long ago, it was said that demons and gods walked the land alongside humans. It was, according to some accounts, a golden age where man respected the gods and demons alike, and they uplifted man, fought for them, defended them.

No one would say why that long ago golden age ended, only that it did. It ended in fire.

From the ashes, man rose with the art and power of Chakra.

As was the nature of humanity, conflict arose as clans formed with their specialties.

Thus did the warring ages begin.

This was something you had learned as a child... stories told, stories learned. And yet... something in you disagreed with it. Refused it as something said in error.

And there was the matter of the dreams.

You dreamed [remembered] [ **BURNING** ], your will and soul raging ever stronger, [ **feeding** ] on itself to burn ever higher. From that power came that familiar surge, that feeling of immortality. Of invincibility.

You could not be stopped.

Your will spoke loudly to the world, and the world knelt in submission to your might.

But the illusion of your ascendency is shattered by a single pulse.

You could feel coldness moving up your arms and legs, even as the fire in your heart gutted out from the shock of that blow...

Darkness crept up on you, the world faded into darkness.

And you slipped...

Into **darkness**...

 **Nothingness**...

But even in the darkness, a glimmer of your **inner spark** still **burned**. Hoarding its last embers of its strength.

Not even death would stop you.

No.

You would endure...

But even the least of flames can gutter out.

Without fuel. Without [ **stimulation** ].

And.

There was nothing but darkness.

You are one with the darkness. The darkness is all that exists.

And it is you. You are it. And thus. You are the world.

 **...**

 **...**

 **...**

An endless eternity later... there was the sound of chimes. Metal against metal ringing in patterns that beckoned you. Called to you.

And you woke up with a yawn, the sun rising in the distant east.

You could feel stickiness on your eyelids that you rubbed away with a hand. The ringing echoed in your head and your mouth tasted like something horrible had crapped in it and then died to rot. Perhaps, it hadn't been the best of ideas to stay up late to study

You stumbled out of bed, wincing at the cold floor. You had to be awake now.

This was the big day, and you were NOT going to be late for your genin exam. You had heard the horror stories of the students who had been late, who had failed and so on... and you were NOT going to be one of those students that the younger grades would talk about. No, thank you.

You stumble into your home's washroom and start your morning absolution; making sure that your long and luxurious pink hair was immaculate, that you didn't have any bags under your sparkling green eyes.

Perfect.

You slip into your customary outfit and dashed off to the academy, a steamed bun with meat in your mouth as you ran. Your mother had left breakfast for you on the table, your father was off at work at his warehouse.

You had an exam to be at, and you were going to ace it like everything else you did.

.

* * *

 **Pink Blossom Quest Redux**  
[ **Sakura Quest** ] [ **Naruto / Streetfighter** ]

* * *

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 **Notes** :

You hear a tanuki auuuu as it scribbles on a leaf. "This is the quest of a Sakura in a Sakura. The copy here is basically an archive of a quest run on Space Battles, Sufficient Velocity, and Questionable Questing. Please go to one of those forums if you want to shape the story by votes."


	2. The Academy

You quickly wolf down the chicken meat bun as you ran, making sure to clean out your mouth with warm tea in your water bottle.

The years have been kind to you as you had worked out the most... efficient route between home and school, all the little back alleys and hidden pathways that are surprising and lead one to interesting places IF they were willing to explore.

The route you took would save you a good ten or so minutes easily... all you had to do was go down certain back alleys, go up walls, run along said walls between houses, gardens, go over that abandoned apartment building and finally down in between the orphanage and the rice warehouse.

As you shimmied out between the buildings, the sun blinded you temporarily, before you cleared with blinks and shakes of your head.

The Hokage tower loomed over you, built as it was over the academy.

Based on how high the sun was, the fact that the other students were still entering the academy, you were on time. Which was to say, you were early and in theory could scope out the territory you had to go into, study the civilians to infiltrate, and so on...

You settled for refilling your empty water bottle with water from one of the taps just outside before heading to your classroom.

The noise level wasn't too loud, however, the classroom held a certain tension. This was... as they said, the day. The big one, where a quick written exam followed by a test of the basic three, would see academy students graduated to genin. Failing at this stage would be... embarrassing for any student as it took actual work to fail.

Certainly, you weren't tensed about the exam. You knew you could pass it. What you were excited about was the sight of the headbands on the table by the podium at the front of the classroom.

This day would mark the day you became an adult.

Where you could do things you couldn't before, like buy actual kunai, or gain access to the training grounds forbidden to civilians and academy students. And not that you wanted to, you could even do things like buy lottery tickets and sake. True, they weren't against the shinobi code of conducts, but the proper virtues of a shinobi said you shouldn't, and thus... you wouldn't.

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* * *

 **The Academy**  
[ **Sakura Quest** ] [ **Naruto / Streetfighter** ]

* * *

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 **Notes** : A quick update...


	3. The Special Hell

Looking about the classroom, you see your fellow students clustered about in their little cliques; Naruto with the Uchiha boy, Shikamaru lazing at his desk with a heavily snacking Chouji, Ami the mean girl with those hurtful words and her minions... ah... you spot Hinata hiding out in the corner opposite to bug boy, Shino.

You smiled and walked up to the Hyuuga 'princess'... who was busy scribbling or writing in her notebook.

"Morning Sakura." The tone of voice from Hinata showed that despite knowing you were there, that she really wasn't paying any attention to her surroundings. Instead, she was busy writing one of her... stories.

Your inner voice had made note that if she wasn't a nin, and the heir to the Hyuuga family and all that, she would likely be a [ **hikikomori** ] or a hermit... but one that did not focus on the Chakra within her and in the world outside.

No, it was worse... she would have been a [ **fujoshi** ], a rotten girl.

[ **No, she's definitely a fujoshi, and not a would have been... or at least, worse than the ones in my times. Trust me on this.** ] came a quiet whisper from the depths of your mind. [ **Even if she's not a hikikomori.** ]

"Morning Hinata, can I... see?" You had to ask... worse, you had to see what depraved writing she had gotten up to... before Iruka-sensei or worse Mizuki-sensei did. They had never quite forgiven her for some of the 'works' that Hinata had done.

"Sure!" A radiant smile was directed your way at the mention of you reading what she had been writing. A smile that bought foreboding.

Gingerly, you took her notebook and started to rea...

It was worse than you had expected.

This time, it was of you... and... Ino. Your best friend... doing this and that... with you.

Your face heated up as you could not help yourself but read the horrifying words before you.

[ **Yeah... she's definitely worse than Kei... way worse.** ]

You could feel a twitch beneath your eye form as you looked at your friend. You would be nice... really, you could do this. "Hinata... I... don't think the things in here are even physically possible."

As you twitched, the notebook was plucked out of your hand.

You had a single desperate moment to look at the one who was now reading it as your breath caught. It wasn't Iruka-sensei or Mizuki-sensei, worse... it was Ino.

"Huh... I have to agree with Sakura," the blonde spoke up after quickly reading the notebook. "Definitely... not physically possible. Sakura isn't that flexible, you know. And she gets embarrassed way too easily for this scenario."

You were fairly certain you were in hell and there was no escape.

Which was when Iruka-sensei coughed loudly from the front of the room to get everyone's attentions.

You had to look at your teachers with tears in your eyes. Truly, you were saved by them.

"It's exam time."

.

* * *

 **The Special Hell**  
[ **Sakura Quest** ] [ **Naruto / Streetfighter** ]

* * *

.

 **Notes** : Did you think there wouldn't be trauma for Sakura? :3


	4. Theory Exam

The exam was simple enough. Twenty five multiple choice questions and then a short essay on the will of fire for extra bonus points.

Unlike Naruto, you weren't lucky enough to be able to guess your way through the exam... or roll di... wait a moment...

You perked up at a somewhat familiar sound.

That was the sound of stone dice rattling against wood... your eyes are drawn to where Naruto really was rolling her way through the questions before her. You knew she wasn't exactly stupid... but to rely on luck like that. But she nodded to the answer derived from her rolls as if expecting what she got before putting in the answer.

You had to shake your head at that sight, because it really was Naruto all over, to just depend on blind luck before giving it a once over to make sure it was all good.

Still, you had to twitch at the way she handed in her exam without bothering to even do the bonus essay.

Or how certain Sasuke was with his answers before handing his in without doing the bonus essay as well...

It was aggravating to see the two of them just walk out together; while he was all grumpy pants, she was his complete opposite with smiles and loud laughter.

Over at his desk, Shikamaru is already napping.

That fiend.

You growl and carefully go over your questions, taking the time to make absolutely certain that they were correct before you started on the Will of Fire essay, and what it meant to you.

After all, the Will of Fire was more than just a philosophy or religion. It was the very heart of Konoha, the reason why the Hidden Village was started... or so it was said. It was about burning bright and strong to light the darkness around you, to stand tall and firm in the face of injustice, to protect those who needed protection.

It was also... [ **complete propaganda** ]. Your inner voice snidely and cynically remarked as you wrote your essay. [ **An opiate for the masses** ].

You agreed with her, and it was one of the things inferred in the Ninja Ethics class. And yet, that very same Will of Fire allowed ninja to fight stronger, to push themselves beyond the limits of their minds, bodies and chakra.

It was a reason to go on.

To take that next step.

And thus, it had value and worth even in the eyes of the most cynically shinobi.

Eventually, you had to put down your pen, there wasn't much you could write more, without it going bad.

You sighed as you went over the exam once more before handing it in. If only you were more confident in your theory knowledge, you would have done it quickly and gotten out like some of your classmates like Ino. But you always did prefer the more physical arts as opposed to the theory, the hows and whys.

You had half and hour break before the second half of the exam, the ninjutsu portion.

.

* * *

 **Theory Exam**  
[ **Sakura Quest** ] [ **Naruto / Streetfighter** ]

* * *

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 **Notes** : Man, the posts are just coming out strong and fast~


	5. Graduation

You frowned as you looked at where Naruto was laughing at something that Sasuke had said with a smile. Knowing those two, it was likely about the exam or possibly something more inane.

While you wanted to talk to Naruto, you couldn't... not really... you would feel like a heel if you interrupted them. Beside you, Hinata was desperately writing in her notebook, while looking at them, at you and at Ino as she browbeat Shikamaru into doing something beyond lying about every now and then... her murmured whispers held a certain madness you dared not contemplate.

After all, you remembered having questioning her once upon a time...

Why it had been last year when you first befriended her... an eternity ago for someone your age, when one got down to it.

Her bold declaration had shocked you. It had stunned the inner you.

Worse... it had gotten Ino to laugh like a loon.

After all, you had asked her why she had written that story of "Dolphin-Sensei" and "Scarecrow-Sensei" and put them together... like... like that.

She had looked at you before closing her eyes in delight, hands raised to her cheek... a light blush telling tales of her emotion. "I think boys should date boys, and girls should date girls."

You shivered in memory of the answer to your innocent question.

Still, you spend time with Hinata, just lazing on the bench against the table... simply soaking in the sun, the songs of cicada could be heard in the distance from the trees.

All too soon, there was the ringing of the bell calling you back in.

Standing at the front of the desk, Iruka-sensei explained the final test. Ninjutsu. Actual jutsu usage. One of the academy three, as it were.

Certainly, one was allowed to use a family variant if they knew such. But... the only question was which one.

"To graduate, you'll have to do the bunshin no jutsu." Iruka looked over the classroom, the tense silence seeming to please him. "When you're called, come to the next room."

Simple enough.

Even if Naruto actually seemed worried for once where she sat. At least if one were to spot her slight trembling, the sweat on the side of her face and how much paler she was than normal.

One by one, you watched the others get called to the other room.

And then it was your turn.

Standing in the empty classroom, with only Iruka-sensei and Mizuki-sensei watching you at the desk... there was a certain pressure there for you to succeed. The headbands resting on the desk in front of them was a very good incentive to do well.

 _Ram._

Snake.

Tiger.

Those three handseals flowed as you channeled chakra [ **ki** ] into your body. The controlled pulse of chakra [ **ki** ] in your body ensured that the technique was performed... perfectly without the trace of smoke that typically showed up in the less talented.

"Well done, Sakura. Congratulations." The warm smile from Mizuki-sensei and nod from Iruka-sensei was satisfying as you walked up to the desk at the front before dispersing the technique and your clones who had walked beside you.

There was a certain weight in the headband you were handed by Iruka-sensei. The feel of the metal plate heavier than expected and not as cold as you thought it would be.

"Wear the forehead protector with the pride of a Konoha shinobi."

.

* * *

 **Graduation**  
[ **Sakura Quest** ] [ **Naruto / Streetfighter** ]

* * *

.

You shivered and walked out of the academy where your classmates waited. There were smiles and laughter as they congratulated you and you them at passing.

At being a proper shinobi of Konoha.


	6. The Morning After

Really when one gets down to it, one should be prepared for success and failure in equal measure. If you had succeeded in graduating, you should have a party to celebrate. If you failed to graduate (tis to laugh, that very idea), you should hang out with your friends as misery loves company.

Thus you had gotten permission from your mother and father to stay out late with your friends after the exam.

More importantly... you had been saving up your piggy banks.

Thus a quick trip to your assorted homes by you and your friends was done... well... quick was relative. After all, you had to clean yourself up. Play dress-up in a nice dress you had gotten. Try on some of that make up that Ino had gotten you, but you hadn't actually used in school... it wasn't much, just a light layer of foundation, and blush, some fragrance to make you smell nice.

You had a quick bite to eat before you ran out the door, this time with your brand new forehead protector used as a hairband.

Surprisingly, you were the first to arrive at the meeting spot, the bridge that connected the beginner's training grounds and Konoha city itself.

It didn't take long before your friends started to show up, from Naruto in her favorite colors of orange and blue, there was a hint of gold and red in her outfit... to Sasuke, who... not surprisingly was in his customary outfit of black and white.

The plan was simple... once everyone had shown up. The lot of you would do EVERYTHING that you had been forbidden to do as academy students. But which was no longer forbidden to you as you were now genin and thus... adults.

The shiny forehead protectors that adorned you and your friends showed that you were proud konoha shinobi!

With that, you headed off to Yakiniku Q to get some food in your bellies and then... to the _dark underbelly_ of Konoha!

.

* * *

Tanuki are Typing... Please wait warmly...

* * *

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You woke up when the sun shone in your face, the sound of birds filled the air... and you had a killer headache. Also, someone had killed someone else in your mouth, and then left him to rot. Inconsiderate bastard.

As you slowly worke, you winced at the soreness here and there in unfamiliar parts of your body.

Also, you were fairly certain you were bruised over assorted parts of your body. [ **Too bright. No technique to kill stupid sun...** ]

And the headache got worse as you slowly staggered up from where you lay one the grass. You blinked.

Wait... that wasn't a headache... that was something trying to crush your skull with its jaws. Well... that wasn't something a punch or two wouldn't fix.

[ **DEATH!** ]

And it appeared that the Inner You agreed with the assessment.

The majestic white Konoha tiger exploded your subsequent punch.

You frowned as you tried to remember what happened after you ventured into _That Bar_ , the one that the Jounins hung out... or so it was said. You and the other girls had ordered a drink... or two... or three... something?

As you stretched... you could hear groans and moans from the trees you were facing.

Looks like you weren't the only one who had ended up here.

Turning around... you were rendered speechless. Literally.

[ **Huh!** ] At least, you were... even if the Inner You wasn't stunned silent by utter wreckage of the forest. Small fires still burned here and there... the trees were topped or outright shattered...

"Ahhhhh..." Eventually, you managed to speak up. "Well... this... this isn't good."

"No. No, it's not. But it was an impressive showing." A quiet voice spoke up behind you, its tone implied a certain laziness that came from absolute certainty that nothing would manage to get his attention unless it was truly life or death.

[ **...** ]

You vaguely recalled that voice. You swallowed and turned around slowly.

"Yo." A somewhat familiar gray-haired ANBU commander waved at you. You were certain, he was a commander based on his equipment and utter confidence. The dog mask just sealed his identity as a member of the ANBU.

"It's not my fault?" You offered up with a not quite whimper.

"No, no... don't worry... I'm sure that the Hokage would be interested in speaking to you and your friends about everything but this. Really." That dry tone spoke volumes about his opinion about what the Hokage wanted you and friends for.

You... you were in trouble.

Big trouble.

.

* * *

 **The Morning After**  
[ **Sakura Quest** ] [ **Naruto / Streetfighter** ]

* * *

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	7. The Old Man

One can say many things about the Sanddaime Hokage, but amongst the few things that could not be said about him was that he was soft or weak.

The old man seated at his desk, his back to the window, calming smoked his pipe and did his paperwork; reading and making minor notations here and there.

He ignored the nine of you, your presence where you stood in the middle of the office was utterly and completely dismissed.

Eventually, he finished his paperwork.

The last piece of paper stayed before him on the desk instead of entering his outbook.

He adjusted the position of the pipe in his mouth and simply looked at the nine of you standing before his desk. No guards. No teachers. No parents.

Just an old man and the nine of you.

The impression that you got of him was absolute danger. But that was rather blindingly obvious. Any nin who made it to old age and was still active was obviously dangerous. His various titles just understated the absolute danger that the old man was.

After all, when one was called things like The Professor or God of Shinobi... you knew how screwed you were if you got into a fight with him. Because the chances were good that you'd be dead before the fight actually started.

The other impression that you got from him as you stood where you were, all muddy, filthy and covered in bruises... was disappointment.

Simple and unadulterated disappointment in you and your friends.

A rare thing that.

He looked at the nine of you and continued to smoke his pipe. With one last puff, he set aside his pipe to the side and started to read from the paper a list of bars and restaurants.

"... Ramen Ichiraku..."

At the mention of the favourite restaurant of Uzumaki Naruto, the blonde collapsed to her hands and knees on the floor weeping in horror. It was clear that she had worked out what the Hokage was speaking of.

The damage done by you and your friends last night.

"Breaking and entering into Training Ground Forty Four, destruction of gates forty three and forty four of Training Ground Forty Four, unauthorized landscape reshaping of Training Ground Forty Four, killing and chasing out the assorted wild life of Training Ground Forty Four and allowing them to run loose into Konoha proper."

The Hokage simply looked at all of you now. "Are you not wearing the forehead protector of a Konoha shinobi?"

You had to sheepishly nod at his question. "Yes sir."

"You are no longer academy students under the guidance of your teachers." The old man shook his head. "You are no longer children cared for by your parents."

"When you put on those forehead protectors, you became proud Konoha shinobi." The look of disappointment returned. "Now, I understand that new genins celebrate their graduation. This is something that has occurred since the very first genin graduation of Konoha. However, what was done last night was beyond acceptable limits."

"Since you are new genins, Konoha will repair and compensate the bars and restaurants damaged last night. However, you will find that a portion of your salary from your missions will be deducted to help pay for the damages." There was a note in his voice that brooked no disagreement.

There was a moment of silence before he said one last thing. "You are dismissed."

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* * *

 **The Old Man**  
[ **Sakura Quest** ] [ **Naruto / Streetfighter** ]

* * *

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 **Writer's Notes** : Sorry for the late update... was a busy week for me.


	8. The Uzumaki Connection

As things went, the group of shinobi that you were a part of was rather miserable as you exited the Hokage's office.

As you started to speak, you noticed what had to be a young shinobi in training with the way he was hiding against the wall with what had to be most poorly thought out and executed concealment technique.

After all, who actually would attempt to conceal themselves against a wall with a cloth meant to blend in with said surface... only to use it at the wrong angle.

Really.

That was just kind of sad.

Still, judging by the size of the cloth, it was likely a kid who had just started the academy.

After a brief consideration, you decided to ignore the kid... as did your friends.

The only one who didn't was Naruto who simply smiled at the kid behind his cloth. "You're not fooling anyone because~ you've forgotten which side is up again, Konohamaru."

"Impressive to see through this, as expected of Big Sister Uzumaki." The kid nodded as he lowered the cloth to beam back at Naruto. There was a note of admiration in his voice. You had to admit to some surprise at Naruto having all sorts of odd connection, they simply seemed to show up out of nowhere. Still, that wasn't hard, the blonde kunoichi was rather friendly and outgoing.

"Ha ha, it's nothing Konohamaru, just don't overdo it, okay?" There was a smile as she waved at him and rejoined the group as you headed down the stairs.

"Didn't know you knew the Hokage's grandson?" you spoke up eventually, having placed who Konohamaru was.

She nodded at you with a smile. "Ah... Konohamaru is a good kid, I met him when I got in trouble in the past and got a talking to. One thing led to another and I play with him now and then."

"He is kind of annoying in a certain way thou, keeps wanting to play with Naruto all the time." Sasuke chimed in.

There was a sniff by Ino at her dress. "Man, father is going to kill me if I go home like this."

"Troublesome... you know we're still going to be in trouble when we get home no matter how we look, right?" Shikimaru's opinion wasn't appreciated by Ino who settled for glaring at him silently.

"You... you know, you could come to my place and clean up first, right?" Naruto offered up after a moment of silence.

It didn't take long for the eight of you to agree to Naruto's offer.

.

* * *

 **The Uzumaki Connection**  
[ **Sakura Quest** ] [ **Naruto / Streetfighter** ]

* * *

.

Your impression of Naruto's home was that it was bigger than expected. From the outside, it was just a simple apartment building. And yet, from the placement of the rooms and their dividing walls, the interior of Naruto's apartment was surprisingly spacious.

More than that, it turned out that the Uzumaki princess owned the entire building, something about an inheritance from her mother.

Still, it meant that there were communal washing machines for you and your friends to share and use, while you shared the shower in Naruto's home.


	9. The music

You weren't avoiding going home... really, you weren't.

You were, ahem, simply performing intell collection by talking with the others... finding out more about your peers and friends.

Also... as it turns out, it was likely that Naruto was the one most likely to give you a proper fight and not, as you had expected, the Hyuuga Princess or even the Uchiha. At least if one went by the hints dropped in the conversation between you, Naruto and Hinata as you waited for your clothes to finish drying.

After all, it wasn't as if ninja used the words wuxia for the art of unarmed fighting, or hewed to the concept of jianghu. Actually, it was rare even in the other Sakura's time.

And Hinata was more interested in stories than the fighting involved in them, or more importantly the techniques used in said stories that Naruto claimed she made up.

Which ruled her out as an interesting opponent.

Naruto, however... you had caught that sly smile on her face as she spoke every now and then... she was deliberately baiting you with words, terms and fighting technique.

It was tempting, very much so, to challenge her to a fight. But... that would be playing into her hand, given that the three of you were currently only in your underwear and wrapped with towels.

Also, it wouldn't be nice of you to ruin Naruto's home... now when she was teasing and taunting you as she explained what she remembered as she interlaced a wuxia story into it.

\- - -  
 **The Music**  
[ **Sakura Quest** ] [ **Naruto / Streetfighter** ]  
\- - -

Warm and scented clothes was a delight when one was also clean.

"I'm telling you. Sakura is totally into your girl, Sasuke. You gotta step in and save her or we'll get to see 'em making out."

You had to frown as you re-entered Naruto's apartment, that sounded like the mutt Kiba.

"Troublesome." "Nnnnh."

Who was talking to Shikamaru and Sasuke. And if the crunching was to be trusted, Chouji was there as well.

"I think that would be kind of... hot." Shino's slow and considered words had you paused. Was he under some kind of genjutsu? That was very much not like him at all. He didn't say that kind of things, did he?

From the silence that ensured... you suspected that you were not the only one who thought so.


	10. Like Mother, like Daughter?

It was regrettable, but in the end, you found yourself unable to put it off further. Thus with heavy heart, you made your way home after parting with your friends.

You took the longest, most circuitous, rout possible. There was a certain reluctance to face the music.

With the sun well past noon, you eventually opened the door to your home... and found yourself blinking at the scents that your nose picked up.

There was the scent of roasting meat, sweet savory meat roasting slowly over an open fire. Your ears caught the sound of sizzling fat as they dripped into the fire.

There was a time when you would diet in an attempt to look pretty. It was a very short period of time that ended when your mother had spoken at length to you about how the dietary needs of kunoichi were different from civilian girls. More than that, the other Sakura in you had agreed with your mother.

Ki or chakra usage required having a healthy diet... and if not fed, the fuel for techniques had to come from somewhere else.

And so, you quietly... snuck into your home, drawn to the kitchen and the grill it held.

"Hello, Sakura." Your mother's voice seemed quiet, perhaps she was disappointed. Or perhaps... she was angry with you. "I'm very disappointed with you."

Or she could also be disappointed with you. You looked down before back up at your mother. "I... I can explain?"

"Would it have killed you to not go on your rampage with your friends until after midnight?" There was the slightest tone of recrimination there.

What?

"I had good money riding on you and your friends having better self control and not doing that much damage so early in the night." There was a sigh from your mother. "Still, what's done is done."

Wait... what?

You weren't sure HOW to react to this. Still, you fixate on something important there. "What do you mean... good money?"

"Ah, my daughter is so studious that she has completely forgotten the fact that she's not exactly amongst the first genin graduates of Konoha." There was a shake of head from your mother as she coated the roasting meat with more marinate before turning it over on the grill to let the sauce to cook.

"Money?" Wait... did that mean that there was a betting pool on you and your peers, getting drunk and rampaging? "With who?"

Your mother looked at you as if this was an absolute truth that should be obvious to anyone with some social skills.

Wait... right, this was a ninja village, wasn't it... did that mean that the active nins and retired nins had a betting pool on every new graduating class of genin?

Still, it appeared that mother wasn't angry with you or rather... wasn't angry about the things you had done last night while drunk. "So... this is normal?"

"Uh huh... not to that degree. But normalish. I think there was only one person who won the prize." There was a suspicious tone in your mother's voice now. "But I doubt that she would have fixed the bet... because if she did... I won't be the only one breaking her father's ramen stand."

There was a slight surge of a killing intent from your mother, for the slightest of moments before it was released. Wait, did that mean that the owner's daughter of that Ramen stand that Naruto liked was an active or retired kunoichi?

"Afterwards, could you go pick up your little sister from the academy?"

You nodded idly at your mother. It wasn't that onerous a task.

\- - -  
 **Like Mother, like Daughter?**  
[ **Sakura Quest** ] [ **Naruto / Streetfighter** ]  
\- - -

Writer's Notes: My apologies for the long delay in the update.


	11. Everyday Life

Dinner was a quiet affair... well... as quiet as it got with your father and mother cheerfully praising your graduation. Your younger sister certainly seemed eager to follow in your footsteps, even if she was told by your parents to not go wild like you and your class had.

This was something you weren't going to live down, were you?

[ **Nope... it doesn't appear to be the case.** ] Even your other side was against you. How cruel.

Still, this was fine... it just meant that it would be a story you would tell your children and grandchildren... right, inner you?

[ **... don't even go there.** ]

Yeap... you were going to get married and do this and there with a guy.

[ **...** ]

You didn't quite smile in your mind as you did mental damage to the [ **other you** ]. She really shouldn't have sassed you. Yeap.

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\- - - Please Wait Warmly, Tanuki are Typing. - - -

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Normally you had to wake up bright and early... at least, you did when you were still a student at the academy.

You would have thought that you could finally afford to be lazy and actually sleep in now that you had graduated...

Sadly, this turned out NOT to be the case as habits forged over the years ended with you awake at the sound of roosters in the distance while song birds chirped with the advent of the sun in the distant east.

Habit had you brushing your teeth with your younger sister, and eating breakfast before you realized you could have slept in.

...

Right. This was awkward. You had to admit as you toyed with the rolled up omelette.

"Sakura, could you take your younger sister to school?" Your mother, clearly, wasn't going to give you a chance to nap. Fiendish!

Still, given the small stack of bills placed in front of you by her, she expected you to do something else. "And afterwards, you should see about replacing your academy equipment. They're not bad, but..."

"Not the best?" You looked at her.

There was a simple nod in response. "Just don't go overboard, a ninja's equipment can only go so far."

With that, you walked your younger sister to school. Unlike you, she was happy and full of energy at this unspeakable time in the morning.

It didn't take too long before she was dropped off and you were far too awake now. And running 'hot' as it were. Walking to the academy was invigorating in its own way, blood pumping and all that.

Which was why you got yourself a snack while wandering about the village. You had to get some equipment.

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* * *

 **Everyday Life...**  
[ **Sakura Quest** ] [ **Naruto / Streetfighter** ]

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	12. Dress Up

**[X] Visit the tailors... perhaps, you could see about new clothes.**  
(8:16:06 PM) **qqbot** : Vyor rolled 1d100: 38 = [38]  
(8:16:29 PM) **qqbot** : UrsaTempest rolled 1d100: 25 = [25]  
(8:18:49 PM) **qqbot:** Bii rolled 1d100: 100 = [100]

It would be tempting, really it would be, to hunt down Naruto and bring her along while you hunted for clothes. It would likely also be fun given that she did possess a sense of fashion that wasn't like the other girls at the academy.

There were a few categories that the academy students fell into in terms of fashion. The orphans with their plain clothes that wouldn't look out of place for normal civilians [ **Might wanna pay attention to the footwear. Normal civilians don't wear reinforced sandals. But...** ] normal people didn't typically pay attention to footwear, Suzume-sensei had covered this in class after all. Then one had those descended from shinobi families... where money was available for higher quality clothing, and someone who knew how to match clothing to the way a shinobi fights.

Which was how you got Ino and her bandages, or Ami with her stripes [ **not that it helped her when she tried to pick a fight with us~ being able to distort your location is useless if there is a start up time** ]...

Naruto was different, she dressed like a boy, preferring sturdy pants and jacket on top of a tee-shirt. What one would expect from an orphan, if one didn't take into account just how durable Naruto's outfits tended to be... you had worked it out after getting into a scrap with her. There was also the way she liked bright colors...

And then there was you as wandered about the streets of Konoha, unable to find Naruto. She wasn't at home, nor was she at Sasuke's home, or at Ino's home, or at Ichiraku Ramen, or at her favorite training ground...

You totally hadn't given into the temptation to go clothing hunting with Naruto. Honestly... and Ino was busy at work at her family's flower shop. Which made her a no go for this... and you really didn't want to bother Hinata who was likely in a lot of trouble for the other night.

Which meant you were by yourself as you looked in the mirror with new outfits on.

You had to smile as you found yourself trying on a completely black outfit that covered your face and body, much like the 'ninja' in assorted ancient dramas or in the [ **other you** ]'s memories of stories told of ninja in her time. It was silly and ridiculous, after all, the goal was to not completely stand out... which this kuroko kabuki stagehand outfit would do in the general public.

Eventually, you found something delightful... an outfit in your style, or at least a cheongsam just the most delightful hew of dark red... like [ **heart's blood** ]. Of course, if it was just a plain cheongsam, then it would be almost but not quite useless.

No, what you were pleasently surprised by was that it was woven with silk from Aburame silk worms. Additionally, there was the usage of fibers woven into a 'thin' plating that hardens into armor plating with the introduction of chakra. That made the cost a bit higher than expected, but still within your budget, even if you had to dig into your new year's money.

It was a nice dress, the color fitted you, it was protective... it was in a word. Perfect. You just had to make sure to make sure to get mother to help you put the Haruno symbol on it. You had some family pride, after all.

.

* * *

 **Dress Up**  
[ **Sakura Quest** ] [ **Naruto / Streetfighter** ]

* * *

.

Your parents certainly approved of the outfit you bought, even going so far as to agree that you had gotten it cheap.

Which was why you wore it for the photo for your entry in the Konoha shinobi records as well as wore it to the classroom at the academy where the new genins had gathered.

What happened that night after graduation wasn't spoke of... even if it hung over everyone's minds. The number of graduates was surprising, an even thirty... which would result in ten teams.

You droned out Iruka's speech about pride, of being a shinobi of Konoha and all that stuff about team balancing of strengths and purpose... keeping an ear open for your team placement.

"Next is team seven... Haruno Sakura." Okay... that was you.

"Uzumaki Naruto." The Uzumaki princess, you perked up... you would be able to spar with Naruto all you wanted... fuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhu. Wait... why was everyone looking at you with concern.

"Ah... Sakura? Please don't laugh like that, you're worrying m- ahhh... Iruka-sensei." There was a look of... worry on Naruto's face as she looked at you and shifted just a bit further away from you on the bench, closer to Sasuke.

"Indeed... and the last member of team seven is Uchiha Sasuke." There was a sigh of exasperation from Iruka-sensei as he finished announcing yoru team placement before he started on the next team. "Next is-"

Still, it was easy to work out what sort of a team this was going to be... you with your brute power, Naruto with her delicate way of deflecting attacks, and Sasuke with his ninjutsu and ranged attacks. This was an assault team if you had to guess.

At least, it appeared that way to you before the sensei assigned to team seven came by.

...

...

...

...

...

If he or she ever did. It was frustrating the way that team seven's sensei just was late. Even if Naruto's smirk indicated that she knew something that no one else did. Not even Sasuke.

That expression, at least, annoyed Sasuke as much as it did you given the way he hnnnned and looked at the blonde ever now and then, which got her smirking even more.

Ahhh... how annoying.

Eventually, the classroom door slid open.


	13. Sensei

**[X] Surely, it's not... not fine to wear that kind of an outfit as a kunoichi... is it?!**  
(10:21:27 AM) **Knucklebones:** Bii, 1d100: 91 [1d100=91]  
(10:21:30 AM) **Knucklebones:** Bii, 1d4: 1 [1d4=1]

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* * *

.

The hand that opened the door was definitely female, so you were certain that you would have a kunoichi sensei. This was going to be awesome...

And then the door opened fully and your hopes were dashed upon the cruel rocks of reality... the woman who walked into the room had to surely have taken a wrong turn somewhere, given that she looked like a housewife.

Before one took in the shinobi headband tied around her arm like a decoration.

Her black hair was reasonable, being shoulder length, stylishly feathered, but that seemed like something a career kunoichi would have. Surprising red eyes graced her face. That you had to admit was the most reasonable thing about her... given that she was wearing a sleeveless short dress over a black turtleneck shirt and white pants. Worse... her sandals were very much not standard regulation armored sandals.

Surely, it's not... not fine to wear that kind of an outfit as a kunoichi... is it?

It's clear that your impression of how absolutely wrong her outfit was could be seen by her, given the amused smile on her face. It's clear that Sasuke likely felt the same.

"Hmmmm... how can I say this? My first impession is..." There was an amused air around her as she spoke. "I don't you like you guys."

"Except for you..." There was a nod at Naruto, it appeared that this was something that the blonde had been expecting given the fist pump and beaming smile. "Althou, you should work on not smirking and letting your teammates in on information you have."

Wait. Wait... what? How did she know that Naruto was... some sort of spying jutsu? Or... more likely... she had been in the room. Genjutsu? It was possible with that outfit... it was very possible that she was someone who was skilled at not fighting.

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* * *

.

The three of you were soon led by your sensei to a small garden above a tea shop... potted trees dotted the garden, while you sat in a circle around a stone table with tea served in a small clay pot. Despite the number of tables in the garden, you four were the only ones there at the moment.

An indication that the garden had been reserved by your sensei.

"Normally in this kind of situation, we would do the introduction thing to get you three to know me and for me to know you." She smiled at the three of you before blowing on her cup of tea to cool it down and sipped at it. "Well... like so? My name is Sarutobi Kurenai. I like shōchū and takowasa. I dislike overly sweet things like cakes. As for my hobbies, I like having drinks in the evening. As for my dreams... well~..."

Before she could continue on, Naruto fuhuhuhuhus around the pastry in her mouth before doing a quick swallow and speaking up. "Well! I guess I can start!"

With that, you were treated to Naruto going on at length about ramen. You knew she liked that stuff... but it was surprising how much her likes, dislikes, and hobbies revolved around ramen in all its forms. There were indulgent nods by Sarutobi-sensei at appropriate points. Still, even her love of ramen had a limit... and thus, she capped off her introduction.

"My dream is to become the first female hokage!"

At this, Sarutobi-sensei simply smiled as if delighted or amused by something. "Just like your mother, huh."

...

...

...

What? You had to admit that this was something unexpected.

Still, given the silence after that statement, it was only natural that you introduced yourself to your sensei. "My name is Haruno Sakura. The things I like are sweet things like syrup-coated anko dumplings and I dislike spicy food like curry. My hobbies... I like to nap. As for my dreams..."

As you mentioned your dreams, you had to look at Naruto and imagined fighting her. Fist to fist, bringing out greater and greater power and skill from your bodies as you clashed. Yes, you really wanted to have it out with the blonde. There was a surprised look on your sensei's face for some reason.

"I guess that leaves you." There was a nod by Sarutobi-sensei at Sasuke. "The boy."

"Hnnn... my name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are lots of things I dislike and a few things I like. As for my dreams... to be able to avenge my clan."

There was a solemn look by your sensei as she nodded at his declaration as if she had expected this for some reason. But then, she had known Naruto's mother... so it was possible that she knew more of Sasuke's circumstances?

"Well. I would say that's that for introductions." She smiled. "Tomorrow will be the start of team seven. Now, I know you're eager to start and alllll~"

The smile turned teasing as you saw Naruto twitch eagerly, but then you were certain that there was an eagerness as you perked at her words. "But we'll be doing something... just the four of us, to determine your skills and to see if any extra training is needed."

You nodded in understanding. That certainly seemed fair.

"Of course... if you completely disappoint me, well... it's back to the academy for the three of you."

What?

No... what?

"Wait, you can't do that..." There was a disgruntled look now on Sasuke's face.

There was a shake of head by your sensei. "Of course, I can. You see, the reason why two thirds of the genin graduates wash out after graduation and get sent back to the academy or into the general genin reserves is well..."

"You need to meet the requirements of the jounin sensei, to prove that you can hack it as an elite... I'm sure that Shimura-sensei must have covered this, yes?" There was a beaming smile now on the cruel woman's face. Shimura-sensei had been clear on certain regards that not everyone who graduated would end up on the fast track to being a jounin, that there were requirements.

You had been so sure...

So very sure... that you were a shoo-in along with Naruto and Sasuke given that you were in the fast-track to being a jounin given that you had done well in the 'Shinobi Ethics' class that Shimura-sensei taught.

This... this changed everything. You carefully listened to the instructions, on where you would be meeting for this 'test', even if it wasn't called such.

.

* * *

 **Sensei**  
[ **Sakura Quest** ] [ **Naruto / Streetfighter** ]

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	14. Teammates

**[X] Meet up with Sasuke and Naruto, prepare for this... you were going to show that sensei!**  
(7:41:45 PM) **Bii:** I need dice rolls... can someone roll 1d100 for luck?  
(7:41:53 PM) *****Vyor_Laptop** noms on bii  
(7:42:05 PM) Vyor_Laptop: roll 1d100 for "luck"  
(7:42:05 PM) qqbot: Vyor_Laptop rolled 1d100: 84 = [84]

You were... tempted. Yes... tempted to ask your mother and father for pointers, not help... of course. But that ran into the whole issue of well... you needing help and the fact that they wouldn't always be there for you.

So that was a wash.

Going to Iruka and Mizuki for help was just like going to your parents.

Did not the Hokage call you a proud Shinobi of Konoha? Was that just words? You could run to your parents, or to your sensei.

No. You had to depend on yourself... and your teammates. You knew that they had skill, that while they hadn't demonstrated combat skills on par with what you had, you hadn't demonstrated everything that you knew... at least, outside of that one time.

Yes, that time when you had shown those traitor male [ **spiders** ] just a peek into the [ **Sakura no Shin Ken** ]. Just a peek, mind you, with a simple [ **Kongou Kokuretsu Zan** ]. There might have been witnesses, but they were old people and so didn't count.

Except for Shimura-sensei.

But that'd been years ago. Didn't count.

Okay, yes... technically Sasuke IS one of those [ **spiders** ], but they weren't all that bad. Just the traitors, who were mostly boys. Okay... in that respect, Sasuke was a tad dodgy, but he was still your teammate. So, you would afford him your trust. Besides, he made your blood sister happy, which counted for something.

Right?

It was for that reason that you went forth and hunted them down. It wasn't exactly a difficult thing to do even. All you had to do was think... where would Naruto go if she was stressed, and the answer came back with Naruto liked heights and looking down on things, she also liked ramen. Thus, there was a good chance she would be on top of Mount Hokage with a bowl of ramen.

Well... the ramen part was more a guess than actual speculation, one proved inaccurate as you scaled to the top of the cliff where Naruto waited. Dressed as she was in robes of crimson and black, she really was trying for the princess look. Especially given that she was drinking tea demurely while seated on a cushion.

Why if you didn't know better, you would have believed that she had 'just' been drinking tea like so... As opposed to having been in her normal orange and blue outfit, and snacking on rice balls with Sasuke.

[ **So very chuunibyou.** ] You weren't sure what a sixth grade disease had to do with her behaviour... but you could see Sasuke sighing as is.

"Sakura." There was a grumpy look on Sasuke's face as Naruto sipped her tea before putting it down with a sigh.

You smiled and settled down beside your teammates who nodded at you. "Haruno-hime."

You shook your head and didn't smile as you pointed out a speck on white on her cheek. "Naruto, you still have a rice... there."

There was a twitch from the blonde as she made the rice disappear with a flash of crimson and black. You had to admit that she was fast. Far faster than you remembered. How [ **delightful** ], how [ **exciting** ], you smiled and considered fighting with her.

The snort from Sasuke was almost unlike him as he shook his head before he spoke. "Sakura, you've obvious come here for a reason?"

"We're a team, right?" You breathed out and calmed down. No, you wouldn't be fighting tonight. "Sarutobi-sensei didn't say a thing about us not preparing... together, right?"

There was a look directed at you by Naruto as if stating that this was obvious. "Well... preparation is always key. As is knowledge. Sasuke?"

There was another side from Sasuke. "Well... I've been doing some checking up on our sensei. Mostly using outdated bingo books... That said. Sarutobi Kurenai, born Yuhi Kurenai, graduated from the academy at the age of ten. Was part of team eight under the command of jounin Uzumaki. Attained the rank of chunin at the age of thirteen. Married Sarutobi Asuma at the age of twenty. Just made Jounin at the age of twenty six, a year ago. Her specialty is genjutsu, with a sub-specialty in taijutsu."

You had to nod. That was useful information... but it didn't tell you much beyond that she was good at genjutsu and could do some taijutsu, and that she had a fair bit of experience. "So... how much do you want to show her? I mean... I'm sure that our rampage the other night would have given people a good indication on what we could do."

\- - -  
 **Teammates**  
[ **Sakura Quest** ] [ **Naruto / Streetfighter** ]  
\- - -

The next morning, the three of you met up a good fifteen minutes before the scheduled time, and in your case rubbing sleep from your eyes. The light mist slowly clearing up with the rise of the sun. "Morning, you two."

There was a grunt from Sasuke and a wave from Naruto before she took out a warm rice ball that she into your hand. It didn't really occur to you not to eat it, so you did. "I don't see Sarutobi-sensei... but something doesn't feel quite right."

You nodded at that... there was something off as you watched your sensei walk up to the training ground. She looked absolutely the same as yesterday. "Good morning."

"It's good to see that you're punctual, being fifteen minutes early is good." The curve of her lips spoke of warmth and gentle kindness as she placed a clock on a bench. "Also very prepared if one were to go by the bags of equipment you have."

"Now, the clock is set for noon." There was a nod from her. "As for the objective."

"Before the time is up..." She held up two bells on crimson strings. "You have to take both of them from me. When the time is up, whoever doesn't have the bell... fails."

...

...

Wait, was she pitting you against each other. Was that the goal? To see how willing you were to pass? Was she aware of the three of you planning this out last night? Or were you just overthinking things?

There was a light tapping on finger against her lip as she didn't quite beam at the three of you while securing the bells to her belt. "I would say something about using whatever you want or there would be guaranteed failures if you don't come at me with absolute killing intent... but that won't be necessary for you three, would it?"

...

...

Yeah, she likely had been listening in on you three and had done her research.


	15. Orientation

**[X] Ahh... too much thinking about this... open up with a** **Shinku Hadouken** **, and then talk it over with the other two about what to do.**  
-Dice roll posted at bottom of post...

With the instruction on how the test would proceed, you found yourself thinking about this.

Clearly, you were meant to fight. The three of you had made plans for the chance of the test being a bitter fight to the end without honor of humanity. Really you had, complete with alpha strikes and all out fight.

But the conditions of winning... ah...

Before noon, the team had to take both bells from Sarutobi-sensei. Failure came from not having the bell. Very simple and clear cut. The only problem was... did she mean the entire team passed with the bells or it was an individual thing? A trap meant to pit teammates against each other.

Logically, this wasn't possible. The failing of one genin while passing the other two. No, that was a mental trap meant to see how good the team's teamwork would be despite the risk of failing...

You twitched mentally as your thoughts started to circle round and round.

"And begin!"

Ahhhh... this was far too much thinking. The simple thing was... fight and trust in your teammates. Things really were that simple. Which was why Naruto and Sasuke had made their escape, using shinobi techniques to replace themselves with tree logs and hiding themselves further.

You on the other hand just BEAMED as you punched into your palm before stretching. "Ne... sensei... you're durable right?"

There was a not quite smile from your sensei as she stood there with a raised eyebrow at your question. "Going for the frontal assault huh?"

The answer she got from you was a simple nod as you [ **breathed** ] in, and mixed the [ **chi** ] chakra with that which lay within your body. This was the basic [ **Enhancement** ] technique. One that ensured your body was ready to fight.

You focused and concentrated your mind. The movement was simple and aided with the words you murmured as you controlled the flow of [ **chi** ] chakra from within your body and down your arms done almost by reflex, to blend together with with the energy in the environment.

"[ **Shinku Hadouken** ]." And then you pushed the surging reaction of pink [ **chi** ] chakra in the direction of Sarutobi-sensei as you unleashed the light of your soul etched upon the world, an annihilation of [ **glorious pink love** ].

There was a look of shocked surprise on the face of your sensei as the unyielding beam of pink energy simply punched through her body, out of the field and continue on to punch rather impressive holes in the trees behind her.

She fell down in silence, the dull roaring filling your ears and covered up the sound of her fall. There was but one thing to say.

"Oh shit."

There was a rustling of nearby shrubbery as Sasuke emerged from his hidding spot. "Sakura... what have you done?"

There was the vague thud as of someone hitting their head against a tree... it was oddly not by where you thought Naruto should be. And yet, there she was pounding her head against the tree. Eventually, she stopped. "Sakura, Sasuke-kun... we need to hide the body or hmmm..."

"What?" "Why?"

Your befuddlement matches Sasuke's surprise even as he shook his head before voicing his objection. "You know we can't just... hide the body, Naruto."

"No, you're right... you'll need to use your Katon no Jutsu to get rid of it." Her response was one you weren't expecting. "I think I also have a spade, Sakura can use it to bury the bones?"

"..."

"..."

There was the soft jingle of bells, as the sickly sweet scent of Suzuran blossoms welled up around you... even as your eyes caught the flicker of crimson orbs, [ **eyes** ] the inner you belatedly whispered to you, you reflexively and desperately [ **BREATHED** ] and channeled your chakra into a very specific pattern. One meant to enhance your body's durability even further as a flutter of crimson petals blew in a flurry around you.

And yet...

It wasn't enough.

The world spun around you... or rather, you spun about as your body was flung backwards even as a sharp pain spiked in your soft, far too soft tummy. As you slammed to a sudden stop, shattering the boulder that stopped your body's motion... you could only cough and look at your sensei, who looked far more different.

Her hair was long and wild that spoke of being cultivated. Her old house-wife outfit was replaced by a dress that was more like bandages or perhaps overlaying scrolls. There was a cold amusement in her shining crimson eyes as she looked at you and at your teammates.

"Lesson one, momentum is key to survival and victory. Stopping to panic is bad." She gestured at you with a hand, with a come hither gesture that could not be mistaken for anything else, and which had not changed since even before [ **inner you** ] had been born in her last life.

It was clear what type of a sensei she was and what sort of a test THIS was going to be. She was going to carve each and every painful lesson she had to teach into your body with her techniques.

This was going to be... fun. Or 'fun' if you had to judge by the expressions on Naruto and Sasuke's faces.

 **.**

* * *

 **Orientation**  
[ **Sakura Quest** ] [ **Naruto / Streetfighter** ]

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"I will have to say that while your showing was barely adequate..." Your sensei said as she sat on the pile of rubble that was the remnants of your Tsunami of Stone Death, once more in her housewife guise as she picking away at her fingernails with Sasuke's kunai. The little alarm clock had long since rang despite being on fire, announcing that it was noon.

More troubling was that the pair of bells sat on the pile of rubble beside her. "There is the issue that you failed to get the bells from me despite my staying at your respective skill levels."

You could only whimper in pain where the three of you lay on the ground before her; bruised, worn out, consumables used up, your chakra reserves near empty. You were in every measure in the 'red'.

"Now, by the very conditions I gave you earlier, you've failed..." You winced at that statement from her in that calm and relentless voice. "But I'm not so merciful as to allow you to run back to the academy. You belong to me now... and until you can pass my simple test, you will obey me."

You had to nod at her. It was clear that she held the upper hand here. This was the 'bigger fish' in the pond.

"You may, of course, be sassy and complain but you will listen to me and you will do as I say." There was a formality in her voice. Sarutobi-sensei had demonstrated that she held a strength that trumped you despite your memories, your respective skills, your working together. And now, she was laying out the ground rules.

"Yes, Sarutobi-sensei." Your voices echoed in the clearing.

"Excellent." There was a light hup as she got off the small mount of stone rubble. "Once you catch your breath and recover, we'll go over this fight. On what you did wrong, what you did right, and what you'll do in the future."

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* * *

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Writer's notes-

(7:42:37 PM) **Bii:** Okay... I would like a few rolls 1d100 for luck, 1d100+25 (Int 15 + Genjutsu 15, hit max of 25) to resist, 1d100 (Strength 5 + Taijutsu 20, hit max of 25)  
(7:42:53 PM) **Bii:** Time for PAWCH!  
(7:44:09 PM) qqbot: ChandraMagic rolled 1d100: 72 = [72]  
(7:50:35 PM) qqbot: Redon rolled 1d100: 55 = [55] (+25 = 80)  
(7:52:24 PM) qqbot: Fallenblades643 rolled 1d100: 6 = [6] (+25 = 31)  
(7:54:11 PM) **Bii:** roll 1d100+25 COUNTERPAWCH! to the soft belly  
(7:54:12 PM) **qqbot:** Bii rolled 1d100: 82 = [57] + 25


	16. Paying One's Dues

[X] Looks like it's time for a D rank mission within the village... humility is a virtue.  
(10:53:08 AM) **Bii:** Can someone make a 1d100 dice roll for Sakura Quest?  
(10:53:13 AM) **Bii:** tis for luck  
(10:54:24 AM) UrsaTempest: roll 1d100  
(10:54:24 AM) qqbot: UrsaTempest rolled 1d100: 24 = [24]  
(10:54:30 AM) UrsaTempest: Bad luck

You find yourself suffering.

Yes, suffering is the correct word here.

Forced to slave under the watchful eyes of your jounin mentor. That accursed woman simply smiled and hummed cheerfully when she got your team assignments, they were always D rank assignments unlike the other genins from your class, why you had heard that even Ino's team had managed to score a D rank assignment outside the village that ended up becoming a C rank mission when the bandits they had been send after turned out to have a chuunin missing nin.

It really wasn't fair. Not when that woman seemed so happy go lucky in not teaching you any of the cool jutsu she knew, or how to fight... with the reason being that "your skills at taijutsu, ninjutsu, and even genjutsu are more than sufficient for experienced chuunin, let alone, adorable little genin like you three."

No, it really wasn't fair... objectively, you knew the goal and purpose for the D rank missions. Hadn't this been sort of covered in Shimura-sensei's lessons? Building up team work, working on the fondations of a proper shinobi. This was key to becoming a chuunin and then a jounin.

It was just absolutely boring, having to smile as you ran about Konoha doing deliveries for Yamanaka Flowers. Tilling farmland on the outskirts of Konoha with your bare hands. To hunt down lost animals. To babysit children. To do construction work and... repair the various training grounds after heavy use.

The tasks weren't bad on an individual basis... but in the end, it was monotonous. Even the excitement of having to hunt down the escaped cat of a visiting noble couldn't break that monotony.

Which was why the three of you agreed to confront Sarutobi-sensei as a team. Together... and explain that you wanted something more exciting. The three of you had been patient, you had kept your peace for weeks on end doing nothing but scutt work. The point of paying your dues was that the paying was work towards getting a better position.

"Sarutobi-sensei?" Alas, you had been elected to speak after a rousing bout of scissors paper stone.

There was a quirked eye brow at you as she waited patentially for you to speak up. "Mmmmh?"

"We... that is, the three of us have been talking." You spoke firmly with a nod. An appearance of unity was important.

"Hooooh?" There was an impressed look now as if that woman was impressed by the three of you talking instead of sparring or going on a rampage.

"We would like a C or perhaps a B rank mission that isn't... well..." You gestured at the crates of drinks you had to deliver to the various shops in Konoha... without the use of a wagon or cart. Nothing but your brute strength.

She nodded at this, seemingly vaguely pleased. "I'll think about it."

And with that, you got back to your D rank mission of delivering drinks to assorted stores.

Running about with stacks of crates on your back... you were fairly certain that this was breaking the child labour law on some level. If such applied to genin or apprentices with masters ensuring that they worked long and hard.

Still, despite the work you had to do, it appeared that Naruto certainly seemed to have adapted well to this sort of training. Taking to it like a fish to water without complain. Just a simple nod to Sarutobi-sensei whenever the mission's instructions were given. Unlike Sasuke or well... you. [ **Just like one of them hong kong kung fu movie, huh?** ]

.

* * *

 **Paying One's Dues** **  
[Sakura Quest] [Naruto / Streetfighter]**

* * *

.

Still, it appeared that your quiet request had paid off as the next morning found yourself not with acquiring another D rank mission, or doing some quiet studies and sparring. No, Sarutobi-sensei was picking a C rank mission.

You were all smiles as you balanced on your toes as Iruka-sensei spoke on the various missions available to you.

There were bandits to the north plaguing the routes that merchants took, there was a request for a genin squad to escort a merchant caravan to Basma city in Rice Country.

Gatou Corp had put in a request for help in dealing with pirates. This one was for multiple squads of jounin lead genins and chuunins. A proper company of shinobi, one meant to act as a force multiplier for Gatou's mercenaries and samurai.

There was also an investigation request. Someone was causing trouble for Ginrei Energy Incorporated, sabotages in mines and factories. Little things... but little things added up.

There was also a 'small' request from Heima Merchandise. It appeared that there was call for a certain animal pelt, and as such... a genin team would be needed to hunt down some red pandas.

The only question was... which one did she pick?

* * *

Writer's Notes:

If you're interested in supporting me, I do have a , just go to /Biigoh.


	17. Animal Hunt

**[X] Twenty Red Panda pelts. [C rank, possibly B rank depending on animals encountered]**

It is oddly worrying in a way when that woman picks out a scroll and smiles warmly at you and your teammates.

She tapped her lips and hmmmed hmmmed. "We'll take this, Iruka-kun."

Wait... she wouldn't be telling you what epic mission you would take? That was just mean. Still, it wasn't as if she would keep it completely confidential... perhaps, it was just for now... appearances and all that.

With scroll in hand, Sarutobi-sensei led the three of you into a small meeting room where there was soon a knock on the door.

The young man who stepped in looked vaguely familiar to you. Fair of face, tall of body, dressed nicely in Earth Country style. Admittedly, the luxurious black hair in that long braid down his back was very much in vogue among Fire Country nobles.

There was a tilt of head by the young man before he smiled at you. "Oh! I wasn't expecting you to be the part of the team who took the assignment. It's been some time, hasn't it, Sakura?"

You found yourself the victim of curious looks by your teammates and a raised eyebrow look by Sarutobi-sensei.

"Ah? I... I should know you?" Your careless reply had him looking somewhat down fallen.

"It's me... Sing." There was more gesturing as you tried your best to remember him. There was the vague impressions of... a star? Or hmmm... oh yes! The [ **nostalgic** ] lolipop.

"Ah! The lolipop boy!" You smiled at the memories of the lolipops you enjoyed when the vacation trips with father met up with Bear? no... Heima, formerly from Iwa. Your firm identification had him wilting as if he was unwilling to believe that was how you remembered him.

There was a moment of silence as the client collected himself. "Right..."

"So, I put in this request to Konoha because of a few factors, namely because the pelts needed come from Red Pandas, a creature that is noted as dangerous despite its luxurious pelts. Also because it's native to Fire Country... and erm... so, you would be knowledgeable in its habits and such." Sing started to ramble on about the mission, which apparently was to collect a number of pelts of red panda?

Honestly, how dangerous could hunting animals be?

Still, you could see why this mission was a C rank one. It was something that experienced genin and inexperienced chunin could do, depending on the animals in the region of where these 'red panda' lived.

[ **Red Panda, huh? I don't think they're like normal panda bears** ]. Still, the inner you spoke up as Sing continued to speak on about how he and his men would be traveling with you to deal with the dead animals... and how it was important to kill the animals without ruining the fur.

Still, bears of some kind.

This would be fun. You just had to make sure NOT to punch the animals too hard.

\- - -  
 **Animal Hunt** **  
[Sakura Quest] [Naruto / Streetfighter]**  
\- - -

Given that you were going to be venturing forth outside of Konoha, on an official mission no less... you took the time and effort to let your parents and little sister know before you started to pack.

This was important, making sure you had everything needed, from basic ninja equipment to camping gear. What was also important was that you didn't overpack even if the temptation was there to go "just one more thing".

In the end, you managed to force what you were carrying down to just a single backpack and no extra items. Easy enough to ensure you were fully equipped for almost anything and could survive in the wilderness, and yet... light enough for you to move at full combat speed for long periods of time and distances.

Perfectly balanced, even if Sing had wagons to carry things in and he had offered to let you and the others stow your gear in said wagons.

With wagons slowing you down, it was weeks before you were looking down at a misty valley near the south western border between Fire Country and River Country.

* * *

Writer's Notes:

If you're interested in supporting me, I do have a pat-re-on, just go to /Biigoh on that site.


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